Missing
by 26hannah26
Summary: Gil had a daughter thirteen years ago. Had. Past tense. He was responsible for her, but he failed. On the anniversary of her disappearance, Gil remembers. R and R please. COMPLETE!
1. Chapter 1

A/N Hi there, this is just a little something I've been working on. I hope you like it, and I think it kind of explains a bit why Grissom is the way he is.

"_Watch me, Daddy!"_

"_I am, Honey..."_

"_No you're not!"_

"_OK, OK, you got me...Now smile and say cheese for me, Iris!"_

"_Cheese!"_

_The camera flashed, and little Iris Grissom's image was captured forever – the four-year-old on the swings in the playground after her first day of school, her hair in pigtails blowing in the wind, her plaid skirt already had a yoghurt stain on it. That cheeky grin that made Gil's heart burst every time he saw it. 'No matter how old she gets,' he thought as he reloaded the film, 'this is how I'll always remember her...My little girl.'_

Holding the tatty picture in his hands, he stared at it like he had done everyday for the past thirteen days. Her smile was still as bright as he remembered, her hair the same dark brown colour, just like her mother's, who had tied it up in blue ribbons that morning to match her school blazer. If he looked closely, he could still make out the cut on her knee from where she had fallen over the previous weekend – her mother had not been happy about that.

He remembered how he felt that day. It was hot, but unusually cloudy for September. He had felt like he was going to burst with pride when he had picked her up from the little elementary school down the street from her house. How he loved listening to her talk about the friends she had made, the picture books she had read, the games she played at recess. They had laughed so much on the way to the park as he had told her a story about a caterpillar that she had got hiccups – cute little ones that made her whole body shake. She was only tiny. His tiny, innocent little girl. His princess. His world.

_Reloading the camera was more difficult than he had anticipated. He should of practised at home, really, but this was the way being with Iris made him – a scatterbrain, who always forgot to take her home on time. It took him long enough to find the film in the bottom of his bag, so by the time he had actually got it in the camera, roughly three minutes had passed. He hadn't heard a peep out of Iris, but she was having fun on the swings. This was her favourite place, except for her bedroom at her daddy's house. He had taken a couple of days off work to decorate it in bright pink and purple just after she was born._

"_OK, Honey, you ready for me to take..." _

_He had turned round and frozen when he noticed her gone. Scanning the rest of the playground – the slides, the climbing frame, the see-saw – his heart began to race._

"_Iris? You need to tell me if we're going to play Hide and Seek!" he yelled, getting stares from other parents sitting on benches._

_He waited for an answer that never came. Becoming frantic, he ran and looked behind trees and trash cans. It's only a small park. Where could she be?_

"_IRIS!" he shouted one final time, before a young mother came over to him._

"_What's wrong?" she asked him._

"_My daughter...She's gone...I can't see her, where is she?!"_

_They searched blindly for a further ten minutes, until it became clear that his little girl was no longer in the park. Grissom, reluctant to admit she was really gone, dug in his pocket for a quarter for the payphone. He dialled 911._

Now, sitting here in the shadows of the playground at night on the bench he had sat on thirteen years ago to take his little girls picture, he thought about what he could of done to help his baby. Every anniversary was the same. If only he had put the film on top of everything else in his bag. If only he had learnt to load the film correctly. If only he hadn't turned his back.

"_Calm down, Mr Grissom, now tell us exactly what happened."_

"_I turned my back for a few seconds and she was gone...I'm a criminalist, and I can't even look after my own daughter!"_

"_Alright sir, calm down. I thought I recognised you from somewhere," Grissom became agitated and started looking around again, in case the sound of sirens had drawn Lily back after she had chased a puppy into the trees. "Now we are doing everything we can to find your daughter. Sniffer dogs are being brought in to see if we can find a trail."_

"_Yes, yes, I know how it works."_

He had gone over that conversation so many times in his head. If the police hadn't wasted time explaining all of the things he already knew, they may have caught up with her. And after all these years, Grissom still kicked himself now and again for not teaching her sooner how to keep herself safe, to never talk to strangers, to stay with a parent. But he was too busy enjoying all the good times they had spent together in their short four years together.

_It grew gradually darker over the six hours spent scouring the park and surrounding area, and Gil started to get even more worried. Iris was afraid of the dark. She wasn't wearing a coat, and it was colder now. Looking at his watch, he remembered he still hadn't called her mother. Going over to the payphone once more, he dug for more change in his pocket._

_Punching in the number, he wondered how to begin. 'I have lost our daughter' sounded too harsh, even though it was the truth. 'Someone has stolen our daughter' sounded too dramatic, and he didn't want her to have a heart attack. He was interrupted from his rehearsal by the woman's voice._

"_Hello?"_

"_Hi, Maggie, it's Gil."_

"_Oh, hi. Are you guys having fun? Has Iris had her dinner yet? What did you have? Is she in bed? Can I speak to her?"_

"_Hold on, Maggie. I have to tell you something."_

"_What?"_

"_Um...She's gone."_

"_What? I don't think I can hear you properly."_

"_I said Iris has gone missing. I turned my back for a second and she was gone."_

_Silence._

"_Maggie, I swear I was watching her, I don't know what happened."_

_Silence._

"_Maggie, please say something."_

"_You lost my baby?"_

"_Wait, I..."_

"_No, you lost my little girl? You turned away from her?"_

"_Please, just..."_

"_Where are you? I'm coming right now."_

"_We're at the park."_

"_What are you doing at the park at this time at night? When did she go, Gil?"_

_Silence._

"_Tell me now, Gil. When did she go missing?"_

"_At three O'clock."_

"_Three O'clock?! And why are you telling me now? When were you going to call me?"_

_Silence._

"_Just don't say anything, I'll be there in ten minutes."_

Grissom would remember that phone call for the rest of his life. He would remember the inquisitive high pitched tone of her voice as she demanded what had happened to Iris. He would remember her screams as she saw the police squad cars lining the block where the park was, and she realised that it wasn't a joke, that her baby was really gone. He would remember how her tears had felt as they splashed on his arms as he reached out for her. But most of all he would remember how much it had hurt when she slapped him across the face.

The moon had come out from behind a cloud now and was illuminating the photo in his hand. God, how he missed Iris, and how he wished he could see her one last time. He even missed Maggie, even though their relationship had been volatile at best, and that was before he lost their little girl. He had moved to a new side of town about four months after Iris went missing, and had lost contact with her mother. Getting up, he decided what he was going to do.

He set of in the direction of his daughters old house.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N Hey folks, I have another chapter. I'm guessing this isn't really to everyones taste because of the lack of reviews, but I like writing this so I'm going to keep posting chapters.

He had been walking for hours, but his feet didn't hurt. He had gotten past the point of feeling. Passing row upon row of houses, Grissom was beginning to think he'd forgotten where Iris had grown up. He'd been there every Friday evening to pick her little suitcase up, and every Sunday night to drop her off. That had happened every week for the four short years of her life. He hadn't been able to return since she had disappeared. It was too difficult for him. Too difficult for Maggie.

"_Look, Daddy, I'm doing it! Mommy look!"_

_Gil and Maggie looked at their daughter with a mixture of pride and love. They were only just managing to be civil towards each other, but as soon as they saw Iris riding towards them on her new pink bicycle they both felt like hugging._

"_Careful, Honey!" worry filled Gil's voice – she was his baby after all, and seeing her cycle in a wobbly way down the path was quite scary for him. But he was so proud – he had taught her to do that. He was finally starting to feel like a part of her life. Well, as much as Maggie would let him. She was always so hostile towards him, ever since she had found out she was pregnant. She seemed to have forgotten that it took two people to make a baby._

_She had sped so fast past the little house in the Las Vegas suburbs, that the blue shutters on the windows had blurred. When she had veered onto the lawn out front, the violets had become uprooted out of their flower beds..._

The blue shutters. The violets. This was the house. He had almost walked past it, but he was finally there.

'What are you going to do now?' he thought to himself. If he was honest, he had walked here on the spur of the moment and hadn't really decided. It was gone midnight and he was standing in the street looking up at the house where his lost daughter had lived. A long time ago, who knew what had changed since then. Did Maggie even live here still?

Suddenly, a light flicked on and illuminated one of the windows. The curtains twitched behind the glass. They weren't the ones he remembered, but he had last been here 13 years ago. Gil looked around, but for what he wasn't quite sure. He just tried not too look too suspicious, standing in the front yard of a random house.

The curtains fell back to their original position. A few seconds passed. Grissomturned away. He should leave, but he still felt something pulling him closer, telling him to stay. Here, he felt close to his daughter once again. Iris had been such a huge part of his life, he thought about her all of the time. But when she disappeared, he was left with a huge void. He still thought about her all the time, though. He wondered if her cheeky grin was still the same – if he saw her today, would it still be able to make him do anything for her? Thinking about how she may have never grinned like that again after she was snatched made a tear trickle down his cheek. Was it painful for her, whatever that monster did to her? He didn't really want to know, but he couldn't live the rest of his life not knowing whether his baby girl's last moments on this earth were painful ones. He had thought, perhaps foolishly, that she would be brought back to him. He had appeared on the news with Maggie numerous times, pleading for her safe return. Maybe whoever took Iris would see what her parents were going through and bring her back. At this point, he had even felt sorry for the person – they were obviously unstable, perhaps because they had lost their own little girl. But Gil had gone through the last thirteen years thinking 'perhaps'. He had long ago realised that his baby was dead. That the girl he had made had died, and that part of him had died also. But one thing he still felt very strong about, that hadn't changed over the years – he was responsible. At first people kept telling him that he was being ridiculous, that any parent would feel the same, but after a while people stopped talking about it. It became just another news story that was made headlines one day, and in a months time no one remembered about the little girl kidnapped from the park on her first day of school.

"_Mr Grissom!"_

"_Please, Sir, tell us what was going through your mind when you realised your daughter had vanished?"_

"_Do you wish the person who did this was dead, Mr Grissom?"_

_Questions were being fired at him from every direction. Microphones were held under his mouth, and one almost up his nose. Flashes from cameras came one after another, relentless and blinding._

"_Just keep walking, Gil," Jim Brass whispered into his ear. They had been working together for about 5 years, since Iris was born, when he transferred to Vegas from New Jersey. His hand gripped Grissom's arm, and the two pushed their way through the crowd._

_He had always hated being the centre of attention, so this was like a living nightmare for him. This whole week had been like that. And now he was being treated like a suspect._

"_Did you do it, Mr Grissom?" Another reporter shouted to him._

"_Don't be silly! How could I hurt my daughter?!"_

_This statement from the man who had previously remained so tight-lipped had caused uproar amongst the waiting journalists. At last, their patience had paid off._

_Walking out of that police station knowing his colleagues were satisfied he was innocent was an overwhelming feeling for Gil. But he felt even worse knowing the police had just wasted time questioning him when they should be out searching for the real perpetrator. Now he empathised with the victim's families that he had dealt with over the years._

"Gil?"

He whipped round, and saw Maggie, standing on her doorstep in her dressing gown. Her hair was dishevelled and she looked tired. He guessed she hadn't been sleeping either.

"Hi, Maggie."

"What are you doing here? How did you know I still lived here?"

"I didn't. Althought now I think you probably didn't want to leave Iris' room, right?"

Maggie looked at him, and thougth about going back inside and leaving him out here on his own. But instead she did something neither of them ever thought would happen.

"Do you want to come in?" she asked.

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

"_Daddy, can I have more maple syrup on my pancakes?"_

"_Sure thing, sweetheart."_

"_Not too much, I already pay the dentist too much. He doesn't need another vacation home." Maggie had to have her two cents on everything. That was something Gil had learnt when it came to choosing Iris' name._

_They were sat around the breakfast table in Maggie's blue and yellow kitchen, the three of them with a stack of pancakes on the table. This was one of the few times Gil had been allowed over enemy lines. So far, it wasn't going too badly._

"_Are you looking forward to starting school next week?" He asked his daughter_

"_Uh...Yeah, I think so. Have you seen my new shoes?"_

_The little girl stuck her feet out from underneath the table, to show her father the new black shoes with buckles that her mother had insisted she wear in now, rather than get blisters on her first day. Her mother, who was now pouring coffee out of the glass jug of her coffee maker, and into Gil's yellow mug with blue stripes._

"Coffee?" she asked him as they entered the same kitchen they had been in thirteen years and one week ago. It wasn't yellow and blue anymore, but a light shade of green with leaves stencilled around the top of the walls. The surprised him – when they were younger, Maggie had always wanted the kind of kitchen that was photographed in Beautiful Homes magazine – all sleek stainless steel counters and black accessories. This kitchen was more like the one his grandmother had had in Tennessee.

"Yes please."

She started to make it, only this time in a different coffee maker – she had thrown the last one at Gil when he tried to persuade her one last time that he had been careful, had been watching their baby.

When it was brewed, she poured it into mugs for the both of them. He noted that they were the same ones she had thirteen years ago. As Maggie opened the fridge to retrieve a bottle of milk, he saw that there were still drawings, held on by magnets, that Iris had done with crayons and another done with finger paints.

Having sat silently drinking coffee together, both amazed that they hadn't started fighting, Maggie suddenly broke the silence.

"Every anniversary, I get a phone call."

Grissom looked up, wondering what she was talking about. Maggie continued.

"I never really thought much of it – just a few seconds of silence, then they hung up – but the last 3 years, well...they've been saying stuff."

"What kind of 'stuff'?"

"Mostly just, 'I'm sorry' but sometimes...No, it's nothing."

"No, go on."

"They say how beautiful she is. Like she's still here. That's such a sick joke."

"Yes...That all they say?"

"Yeah, but one time there was a lot of background noise, like they were in a casino or something."

"How odd. Every year?"

"Every year. And today, I got this."

She got up, and walked over to a pile of mail on the counter next to the toaster. Rummaging through it, she found what she was looking for and put it down on the table in front of him. It was a news article written the day after Iris went missing, and read: 'Girl, age 5, missing from West Las Vegas.' Below it was a press cutting from a newspaper, that was headed: 'Women's volleyball team win 7 games in High School championships', and a short article about the tournament and the teens involved. Both were pasted on to a sheet of paper, and stuffed in an envelope.

"Mind is I take this back to the lab? See if I can make anything of it?" Gil asked eventually. This had left him bewildered – did someone know something about his daughter after all this time?

"Sure. If you find something, will you call?"

"Of course."

Grissom left and began the long walk back to the lab, news cuttings in hand, still trying to make something of them. He found himself drawn to the article about volleyball. It was put there for a reason. Perhaps whoever had taken her had buried her body somewhere in the school grounds. Or they were a volleyball player or coach. Or perhaps...Perhaps Iris was really alive, and she had competed in the tournament?


	3. Chapter 3

A/N Hey all! I hope everyone has their thinking caps on because this chapter is going to confuse the hell out of you! I think I should stop writing this, it's becoming very incoherent! Enjoy (yeah right!)

Grissom had been on his way to the lab. He had just kept on walking from Maggie's house, but must have taken a wrong turn. Now he was standing at an intersection somewhere near the All Saints Church High School – reading the newspaper cutting over and over again must have made him think about this address instead, so he'd ended up here.

"_What if no one likes me?"_

"_Honey, everyone is going to love you! Trust me, you will be fine."_

"_Can't we just go home? I don't really need to go to school."_

_It was Iris' first day at West Las Vegas Elementary School. The previous night, she had been so worried and had tried, and failed, to convince her mother and father that she was ill. Then that morning at about six o'clock, she had woken up and got dressed all by herself, and with her bag on her back had walked into Maggie's bedroom and declared that she was ready for school. Now it seemed her nerves had returned. And Gil was having a difficult time trying to persuade her that she had nothing to worry about. His own school days had been less that pleasant, and he had dreaded the day that she would start Big Girl School for weeks now. But the day had finally arrived. Iris was growing up so fast, and before he knew it she would be getting ready to leave the house for her first day of high school..._

In the dark, the school looked a lot different to what Gil would have imagined. There were no pupils there now, for one thing, so the place had an eery empty feeling, like an old abandoned warehouse or house. Also a bit like the morgue. There were no cars parked out front with parents dropping off their kids. No chatter of friends greeting each other, of teenage gossip.

Looking at the big building looming over him, he could imagine dropping Iris off here on her first day, being one of many other parents worrying and reliving their own nightmarish high school days. 'She would be one of the pretty popular girls,' Gil concluded, 'But she'd also be one of the smart ones. Whichever personality trait she would choose to let shine through would be entirely up to her.' He just hoped she would be settled, and happy. And that she wouldn't have her heart broken by some dumb Neanderthal-like boy. And if, heaven forbid, that ever did happen, Gil would be there, sitting on the edge of her bed with his arm round her shoulder, offering all of the comforting words he could muster from within himself. His own mother had been of great comfort to him in many ways when he was in high school (and after Iris went missing – he was surprised at this, as he had half expected his own mother to side with Maggie and blame him), so he wouldn't really have much of an idea of what to say in that kind of situation. Perhaps offer his credit card and tell her to go buy a nice new pair of shoes.

He would be the best Dad she could want. He'd attend all her plays and recitals, and sports games, and he'd help her with her science fair entry. As she got older, he would be their to cheer her on at Junior High and High School graduation ceremonies, and then he would be the uncool Dad she wouldn't want, taking lots of photos of her before she left for her senior prom, grilling her date, perhaps even going so far as to run a background check on him at work, make sure he wasn't going to put Iris in danger. But Grissom had already done that, already ruined what could have been. He would never get to do any of those things now. He had thought about the things he had missed out on as his niece Holly, born three months before his own daughter, reached all of those vital milestones. The first time Holly had come home drunk, her mother, Grissom's sister, had grounded her for two months and barely let her out of her sight. Gil had his own ideas on how she should have tackled the problem, but never talked about Iris to anyone, so didn't mention his theories on parenting. At this present moment, he wasn't even sure how many people knew that he even had a daughter – Catherine knew, they had worked together since around the time that Iris had gone missing. Doc Robbins had remembered an article in the newspaper about her disappearance, and had very tactfully asked if Gil was the same Gil Grissom from the story. And Ecklie. Ecklie had been less tactful, he had just used his 'interview' voice, offered his condolences and then went back to kissing the ass of the lab's director at that time, a nice man named Jacob Rabien. His face reminded Gil very of his father – wrinkles around the eyes, grey stubble on his chin and a little bald spot on the crown of his head. As a boy, Gil had always called his father's bald spot his mirror, because it always reflected the light no matter where he was. At that moment, he reached up subconsciously and felt for a spot of his own. There was definitely one forming, and he wondered if Iris, who would now be almost eighteen years old, would be embarrassed that her dad was so old. He wasn't cool like other dads, he had a job that left him very little free time and he was grumpy in the mornings (and the evenings for that matter).

Looking back up from the newspaper clipping he held in his trembling hands, Gil focussed his eyes on the school once more. The sun was coming up now and it cast a fuzzy orange glow over the skyline and could be seen above the roof of the building. It was four in the morning, and in another three hours teachers and other staff would start arriving. Was he still going to be standing here then? What was he going to do now?

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

Grissom let himself in his own front door to his own house. It felt so strange to be back there – he felt like he had been on a jungle trek for a few months. The place seemed to have changed somewhat, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. But perhaps it was him that had changed. After all, he had resigned himself to the fact that his daughter, his baby girl, was dead and had died a long time ago. That was until a few hours ago. Now he was facing the prospect that Iris was, in fact, alive and was still living in the local area. Whoever had taken her was obviously either not too bright or was living dangerously and had been waiting for all those years for the police to show up on the doorstep and arrest them. Gil had always had faith in the police, until they couldn't find his daughter, but that faith had been restored when he began to realise how hard they worked to get the solution that they wanted. And now, he felt all his admiration leaving him and being replaced by rage. Iris could have been under their noses all this time and the police hadn't even realised. He also felt guilt that _he _hadn't even realised, hadn't been able to rescue his little girl from the monster that took her.

He put the newspaper cuttings on the modern wood and glass table in the hall, next to the phone and a haphazard pile of junk mail. He made a habit of recycling the pile every week, but recently he had just walked past it on the way in and out of the house and chosen to ignore it. He then walked towards the archway into the kitchen, but halfway he turned back to make sure the cuttings hadn't grown legs and walked away, or a sudden gust of wind had come from nowhere and blown them away – if he lost them, he would have lost the only link he had to Iris, to knowing where she was, to knowing the truth.

Gil walked straight through the kitchen and carried on until he got to his bedroom. The thought of food made him feel sick, so he decided to try and see if he could get some sleep. Flopping down on his bed, he already knew he wouldn't be able to shut his eyes without seeing Iris' face or imagining some kind of scenario that could have happened to her over the past eighteen years.

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

"_Dad, pass the peanut butter, would ya?"_

_Reaching across the table, Gil grabbed the jar, which was sticky to the touch, and passed it to his daughter. She smiled in gratitude and started spreading it thickly on her toast, tossing her long brown hair over her shoulders as she did so. It caught the light from the fixture on the ceiling and hung halfway down her back. Gil was shocked at how much she looked like her mother had when they first started dating. This thought made him remember about Iris' date tonight. Jake Thomson. She didn't tell Grissom about it, her mother did, after stumbling across her diary in her bedroom. Maggie also said they were going to see a movie and then go for a pizza. 'Over my dead body,' was the first thing that came to Gil's mind, 'She's too young to date.' He had always promised himself he would be a cool, relaxed kind of dad, but now, here he was, worrying about his eighteen year old daughter going out with an eighteen year old boy – man – when he had been doing so well and had even managed to control the rage brewing inside him when she came home with a ring through her navel._

_A shrill ringing rattled his thoughts. Iris was looking at him now, a puzzled look on her face. Grissom felt his expression mirror hers..._

The he jolted awake. His cell phone on the beside cabinet had woken him from a dream of Iris. She was a teenager now, and Gil could see just how beautiful she was.

He leaned across to where it was vibrating and making a pot of pennies that he kept by the lamp rattle, and picked it up. Pressing the 'answer' button, he was relieved when the ringing finally stopped.

"Hello?" In his sleep-fogged mind, he barely heard the voice on the other end of the line. It was only when he heard what it was saying that he was forced awake, but wished he could go back to sleep.

"_Grissom? You there? It's Catherine, where are you? It's nine-thirty..."_

"Oh my gosh, I...I'm sorry, I was sleeping."

"_Are you sick?"_

"Um...Yeah. I don't think I'm going to make it in today."

"_OK, you don't sound too good, anyway. I'll speak to you later."_

Gil said goodbye and hung up. He wasn't ill, he just needed today to find his daughter. Getting out of bed and heading to the bathroom, he tried to figure out a plan. Sure, he could go to the school again and show everyone the newspaper article and ask to be directed to the volleyball coach. Or, his more reckless side thought, he could go to the school, flash his crime lab ID and demand someone tell him where his daughter had been all those years.

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

He was back outside All Saints Church High School, where he had been just four hours earlier. Students were beginning to file in through the main entrance now, and the sun was reflected from behind him where he stood on the pavement onto the row of windows that ran across the front of the whole building.

'This is ludicrous,' he thought to himself, 'I haven't seen her in years, how am I going to know what she looks like?'

But that was when he saw her. Walking towards him from across the street with three other girls, laughing with them. It was suddenly as if no time had ever passed. Iris looked just the same – same bright green eyes, same dark brown, almost black hair, same beaming grin. She caught his gaze as the group passed by, and Gil realised her was staring. But she carried on walking, and before he knew it he was staring at her back. She had gotten so tall. She was so beautiful, she could be a model. Gil imagined she had a boyfriend, was popular, possibly a cheerleader. She seemed popular – as the group of giggling girls had reached the front steps of the school, they were met by two more girls and five boys. He bet one was dating her, and suddenly felt very protective. He felt like running over and rescuing her, like he hadn't been able to do all those years ago...

He shouted out to her.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N Right everyone, had to repost because I forgot to spellcheck, but yeah here you go, don't forget to leave a review, cheer me up I'm lonesome, do the right thing etc. Enjoy yourself reading this blah blah...

"_Iris!" The sound echoed around the court yard, and everyone suddenly went very quiet. Gil wasn't sure why he had yelled out her name, the name he and Maggie had given her, but that she probably didn't use anymore. As soon as he had, everyone had turned to look at him, except her. She kept her back to him for what seemed like hours, before turning to face him – in reality she had turned at the same time as everyone else._

After all, he had called her name – her middle name, but there was no one else at the school with that name. This strange man, who looked like he hadn't shaved in weeks, but looked scarily familiar to her. She felt her chest tighten, but she wasn't sure why.

He was still staring at her, and she realised he was waiting for her to say or do something. She was rooted to the spot, her mouth hung open slightly, but she still didn't know why. She tried to speak, but no sound would come out. He was staring directly at her, like he recognised her, but she still couldn't place him.

Her friends were looking at her now, too, with puzzled looks on their faces. To them, as much as they cared for her, she had always been weird – she was interested in learning unlike every other girl her age, she preferred staying in to going out with the group, among other things. And now a creepy looking guy had shown up in front of the school shouting a name that wasn't even hers, and she was responding. To them, she was just their odd friend Katy.

"Iris?" He was asking this time, and was struck by an enormous feeling of relief and joy when she slowly nodded her head. She had never seen him before, but she felt deep down inside that she knew him, just like she knew today was Wednesday. She started to walk towards him.

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

As soon as she was standing close enough to see him properly, but far enough that it could be classed as a 'safe distance', she was definitely sure she knew him. Looking into his eyes and seeing herself reflected back, she felt something she was sure she hadn't felt in years. She felt like she belonged.

Her mother had always let her know how special she was. Her first daughter had died before Katy was born, so she was always very protective – never let her go out and play with her friends, never left her with a babysitter, always dropped her off outside her school and picked her up from the same place once it was time to go home. But that was understandable, she had no other family and was a bit of a loner. She always told Katy that her dad had walked out before she was born, but she could remember a man being there, remembered him taking her to the park. Now she wasn't sure of anything her mother had told her.

Gil looked at her, and saw the confused look on her face. People around them had starting moving again, were walking passed them like it wasn't anything out of the ordinary, but he couldn't hear anything, and he couldn't see them either – all her could see was her – but he could feel them moving. He felt like he should say something but his mouth was suddenly very dry. He was very glad when she said something instead.

"Who are you?"

"My name is Gil Grissom. Do you remember me?" he wasn't sure if she would know where to remember him from, but he felt compelled to ask.

Katy looked at him, and suddenly it all fell into place.

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

_It was cold out so she couldn't go out and play. She hadn't been out to play for a while, but she couldn't complain. The lady had some really good picture books (even though she could read a little) and some great dolls. She wasn't really bored, she would have been happy just to sit and look at the picture in the magazines that were laying on the coffee table. But the lady had sat her down in front of the television – Tom and Jerry was on, and then Scooby Doo, her two favourite shows – while she had sat and looked out the window. The lady did that a lot._

_In the middle of Tom and Jerry, a news bulletin had come on the TV. There was a photo of her, and then it cut to a clip of her Daddy talking in the park where the lady had picked her up from. Iris had got up from the carpet that made her legs itch and walked over to the lady. The blinds were pulled down and she was peering out through the slats._

"_My Daddy's on TV! I thought you told me he didn't want me anymore...that's why you brought me here, because he asked you to. Right?"_

_The lady was angry. She said over and over again, "He'd not your Daddy, I'm your mommy, I always have been." Iris cried. The lady told her the story again. Iris cried some more. After a while, she stopped crying, so the lady stopped telling her the story. Iris forgot all about Gil and the lady was her new family. As she got older, it was the only family she thought she had ever known. _

_But sometimes she smelled a smell, or heard a noise, or saw something that reminded her that something wasn't right with her 'family'. There were no baby pictures of Katy in the house, something she had learnt when she was seven and had to do a school project on their childhood. Once, when her school had won a prize and the local newspaper wanted a group of children to have their picture taken, her mother had demanded that Katy be taken out of the photo and replaced with another child. She was applying for university this year, and wanted to find out about studying abroad. She didn't have a passport, which could be easily fixed, but she didn't have a birth certificate either, so she couldn't get one. She had always wondered if she was adopted – usually when she had a fight with her mother – because she couldn't remember the news bulletin, and had always wondered what her birth parents were like..._

"Gil Grissom..." she repeated his name, as if trying to make it fit somewhere in her brain. He had called her Iris. Iris Grissom. That was her old name. It all made sense now. "Are you my Dad?"

He smiled broadly, a smile she remembered well, and he asked, "So you do remember me, then?"

"I don't know. I think so..." She remembered something he had said to her years ago, brought back by the sound of his voice, "I think so...Bugman..."

He laughed. That was her nickname for him. "Do you remember my nickname for you?"

"Your Little Ladybug!" she laughed. She remembered him _–_ he was her father.

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

He hadn't wanted to keep her from school, but she had insisted she was ahead in most of her classes anyway. He had found her, and he wasn't going to lose her again.

They walked round the corner to a café that she went to after school with friends. When her mother was at work, because when she wasn't she was at home waiting for Katy to come back, and panicked if she was a few minutes late. This was the first thing she wanted to ask Gil. What really happened, and what will they do about the woman who has been posing as he mother for 13 years?

"Her name is Olivia Fisher," she said after he had told the story of how she disappeared. "She told me you didn't want me anymore."

"Oh sweetheart, that was never true." he felt slightly embarrassed at calling her 'sweetheart' but she didn't seemed fazed by it. She smiled at the fact that he was trying to comfort her. He got out his phone from his pocket and dialled a number. "Jim, it's Gil. Yeah, I'm fine...Could you send a patrol car to the residence of Olivia Fisher...Send Catherine to the house...Yes, don't worry, I'll call and tell her what's going on. OK, bye." He hung up, called another number, and couldn't help but smile broadly when he told Catherine that he had found his daughter. He said goodbye and hung up once more.

He turned back to Katy, and asked if her mother would be home.

"She starts work at ten..." she checked her watch, "...so she should still be there. What's going to happen to her?"

Gil didn't really know how to answer. Olivia would go to jail for kidnapping, if Catherine could find the evidence – which she would, of course. He hadn't just asked her to go because they were friends, he could have asked Sara to go (even though she didn't know about Iris), but because Catherine was the best CSI he had. "We'll see." he told her. He felt like he was a father again.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N Hey guys and gals. Right, I realised today that I haven't updated this in ALMOST A YEAR!! Yeah, that's right. A year. I never intended this story to drag on for quite so long, but for those of you who have remained patient (hopefully at least one person!) I would like to say thank you. So read, enjoy, and leave a review please! Thanks, and have a nice day. Oh yeah, and as it's been so long, if I've forgotten or messed up on a few details, my apologies. I'm only human after all!

_A cool breeze blew in through the open window of Olivia Fisher's apartment. The stray hairs at the nape of her neck that had fallen from her ponytail were ruffled, and a shiver travelled down her spine. Turning to look around the room that she had just cleared, it really hit her – she was alone. The baby that she had longed to have for so many years, and that she finally managed to get pregnant with, was dead and it was all her fault. If only she had found out she was pregnant sooner so she didn't carry on exercising too much, if only she hadn't believed the doctor when he said the odd glass of wine now and again was safe, if only she hadn't had that sneaky cigarette...If only. She felt that feeling again, that one that told her she was about to break down into the most bone-shaking, angry tears that just wouldn't stop once they had started. A tear trickled down her cheek and got lost somewhere in the high collar of her polo shirt. 'Pull yourself together,' she said to herself, breaking the silence, 'You've managed without Katy for four years. You've only just got the courage up to get rid of the baby stuff – she wouldn't even be a baby now.' Olivia felt her heart sink again, imagining what her little girl would look like now. If only she hadn't died._

_She shook the feeling off and went into the living room. Work started in a few minutes, and the guys at the diner thought she was strange enough as it was (especially after yesterday when she arrived still in her slippers), without seeing her come in sobbing uncontrollably. After picking up her bag from the sofa, she walked out of her front door and into the unseasonably overcast Las Vegas street. Past the Laundromat, where the old men in sweaty army jackets played the slot machines just inside the doorway, past the bar where she had drunk herself into a daze more than a couple of times over the last few years, past the park where she had planned to walk with her baby every day. She paused and ran her hands over the cold metal railings, watching the families just being together, happy. The jungle gym, the slides, the swings. And then she saw her..._

* * *

"Olivia Fisher? LVPD!" Brass yelled through the door, not as a courtesy but more like a warning to get the heck out of the way, before kicking it down and bursting into the room. He saw her, almost in slow motion, leap out of her seat on the sofa and scuttle into the kitchen looking for a way out. She was trapped like a rat, no way out, and Brass smiled to himself. He had her, and now his friend Gil could finally move on with his life. His new life with his daughter.

* * *

Iris and Gil walked down the halls of the Las Vegas Police Department, past the room in which Olivia Fisher was being interrogated, and stopped at a vending machine. "You must be hungry," he said to her, "What would you like?"

"I'm fine thanks. Still full from breakfast." she grinned that grin that he remembered from so long ago, and he was immediately transported back to the last day he saw her. She had changed in so many ways, but in many others she looked just the same.

"You sure?" She nodded, and smiled to herself at his protectiveness. Olivia had been _very _protective, but this was the first time in her memory that she had ever had a dad to keep an eye on her. All her friends hated their fathers – they were overprotective, ruining encounters with potential boyfriends and being a little bit too much of a disciplinarian when it came to curfews.

"What's going to happen to her?" she asked, nodding towards the interrogation room. "She never hurt me or anything. She was just lonely, that's all."

"Honestly? I don't know. She'll definitely be arrested, but after that... She's probably got a good basis for an insanity plea."

Iris was quiet for a moment. Gil could tell she was thinking over what he had just said. Olivia had taken care of her for thirteen years, so there was a connection between them – he could understand why Iris didn't want anything bad to the woman who had been the only mother she had known for the majority of her life. "What about my mother? My real mother, I mean."

"I've called her. But I asked her not to come in until you've been questioned by the detectives."

"I'm kind of scared about seeing her. I don't remember her at all."

"Don't worry about that. You didn't remember me, but once you saw me it all clicked. Right?"

"Right. I just don't know what's going to happen."

Gil turned as he felt someone tapping on his shoulder. Brass smiled and pulled him to one side. He looked over the Iris, and then spoke in a hushed tone. "We're all done with the questioning for now. She's not exactly being cooperative." He lowered his voice a little more to add: "Do you want a go with her? I know it's against the rules, but I think the circumstances call for it." Gil wasn't sure what to make of that – he was touched at his colleague's gesture of kindness, done in a typical Jim Brass way, but was also swamped with a series of other emotions. Rage at the prospect of facing that monster, fear at what he might do to her, and a sick feeling that he thought was down to the relief that he knew was coming. The nightmare was almost over. But for it to really be over, he needed to know why. Why she took his baby, and why she had started harassing Maggie.

* * *

Gil turned the handle and went into the interrogation room, nodding in the direction of the police officer standing guard over Olivia. He sat down in the chair opposite her, and rested his arms on the cold steel table. He had felt a sudden rush of heat hit him as soon as he entered the room, which was intentionally lacking in air conditioning, and the metal was soothing against his skin. He hadn't looked at her yet, he was mentally preparing himself, but he could hear her breathing and drumming her nails on the arm of her chair.

"I thought y'all were done with me. When can I get outta here?"

He remained quiet, pretending to look through a case file that he had brought in with him. He was trying to think of something to say to her that would accurately convey to her exactly what he was feeling. Suddenly, the words started flowing, he was saying everything he wanted to say and couldn't stop himself. "My name is Gil Grissom, Miss Fisher, and I'm a criminalist. I'm also the father of the little girl you kidnapped thirteen years ago. You took my daughter from me, you ruined my life, and there is nothing I would like more than to see you rot in jail for the rest of your life. I'm a pacifist, normally, but I'm willing to make an exception in your case. Because you stole the most precious thing in my life." He was practically spitting the words out, and was amazed that it actually made him feel a little bit better.

She had been looking at her hands the whole time he was talking, but now he was done and his words hung in the air like a thick fog, she looked up at him. Their eyes met, hers piercing and blue. "I know how you feel, Mr Grissom. My own daughter died many years ago."

"Did you kill her?"

"How dare you! I would never, _ever_, do such a thing! My baby's death was a tragic accident, there was nothing anyone could do."

"Is that while you took Iris from me?"

"Her name is Katy..." she muttered quietly, looking at him with pity, as if he were the crazy one.

"No, it's not! Her name is Iris Margaret Grissom, and I am her father!" he yelled, standing up and banging his fists down on the table. She barely flinched, just kept staring up at him with those hard, cold eyes. "Maybe she was better off with me. You obviously have anger issues."

He really wanted to hit her now, but he kept his head. "Why did you start calling her mother? Why did you send the newspaper article?"

"I felt a bit guilty, I guess. I wanted you to know that I was taking care of her."

"Then why did you take her from us? Why didn't you just leave us alone?"

"I was just taking what I deserved. The Lord took my daughter, so I took somebody else's. It was only fair."

He had heard enough. He had what he needed from her, and if he never saw that woman again he would die a happy man. Leaving the room, he just let all of the emotions that had been building up over the course of the day wash over him, and felt tears run down his face. They were tears of relief, and as he leant back against the wall outside in the hall he gave in completely, feeling his whole body shake.

* * *

Iris lay down on one of the hard, uncomfortable rows of chairs in the waiting area of the Police Department, hoping to maybe catch a few minutes sleep while she waited for her dad. Her dad – it sounded so strange to her. She knew it would take a long time to get even halfway close to being a proper family with him and her mother, but just the thought of normality after everything that had happened today made her heart race. It would be impossible for her to sleep with all of these happy family thoughts racing around her mind.

She sat back up again when she saw her dad coming in to the room. He looked different somehow, but she couldn't put her finger on what it was. He seemed way more relaxed. He sat beside her, but not too close, and smiled. "Your mother is here. She really wants to see you."

"Oh God. I'm nervous, but I don't know why!"

"Don't worry. She's nice." It seemed like an odd thing for him to say, but she sensed him tense when he started talking about her. "Was she mad at you after...you know?"

"Yeah, she was. But it's not about me right now. She's here for you."

Iris followed him out into the hallway, where a woman was waiting at reception with her back to them. She was shifting from one foot to the other, obviously nervous. She heard their footsteps and turned round, with a look of both hope and worry on her face. Maggie looked at her, well aware that she was her daughter, and ran over. All three were quiet for a moment, just taking everything in, when Maggie spoke.

"Iris? It's mom. Do you remember me?"

The younger woman nodded, tears welling in her eyes. It was like no time had passed at all. She pulled her mother towards her, embracing her for the first time in thirteen years. Maggie began to cry now, kissing the top of her daughter's head, and held out an arm to Gil. "Join in." she told him, trying to include him in the moment. It had taken seconds for their lives to change that afternoon in the park, and even though they wouldn't ever be able to go back to the way they were, they had many more years together to be a family again.


End file.
